RFMicron and On Semiconductor Wring Leaks Out of Automotive Assembly

Press release from: 02 May 2017

RFMicron and On Semiconductor Wring Leaks Out of Automotive Assembly

Collaboration between ON Semiconductor and RFMicron leads to effective leak detection system to improve outgoing vehicle quality, and alleviate risk of related latent malfunction and customer warranty issues.

Phoenix, AZ – May 2, 2017 – ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ON) and RFMicron have expanded their collaboration to develop a complete in-line vehicle production leak detection solution. The RFM5126 Moisture Intrusion Portal System uses battery-free, wireless sensors to detect in-vehicle water leaks caused by incorrect assembly. Detecting leaks and assembly issues before a vehicle leaves the factory is critical to improving outgoing quality and to avoiding customer warranty issues. The new automated leak detection system is installed directly over moving production lines, and detects the smallest damage-inducing leaks.

RFM5126 Moisture Intrusion Portal System

The system employs moisture detection sensors that incorporate Magnus® ICs from RFMicron. Magnus ICs support a revolutionary range of battery-free wireless sensors offered under Smart Passive Sensors™ and SPS™.

Vehicle assembly is a complex process involving a range of materials, glues, changing components and human-driven processes. Even with the best traditional efforts, small leaks can go undetected during manual inspection procedures. These leaks may allow enough water into the vehicle over time to cause mold growth and potential damage to expensive electronics modules and components. Statistics show that up to 3% of vehicles ship from the factory with leaks that will lead to mold growth and costly warranty repairs. The RFM5126 Moisture Intrusion Portal System accurately identify these leaks with lower cost and labor impact versus traditional and less effective methods.

Automakers can already detect the major leaks which tend to be visible, but they have great difficulty detecting small leaks which cause damage over an extended period of time.

The unobtrusive, battery-free, wireless sensors are installed in the vehicle at the bare metal stage before installation of the interior trim and seats. After completing all assembly, vehicles move through a high-pressure spray test where the system flags any small, hard-to-find leaks. Drive-through portal stations that are easily installed on existing vehicle assembly lines, facilitate communication with the sensors. The portal stations incorporate comprehensive sensor monitoring software that reports accurate leak locations helping to speed the rework process. Over time, the system strengthens process improvement efforts by helping automakers identify issues that lead to leaks in the first place.

“Automakers can already detect the major leaks, which tend to be visible, but they have great difficulty detecting small leaks, which cause damage over an extended period of time,” said Shahriar Rokhsaz, CEO, RFMicron. “The RFM5126 Moisture Intrusion Portal System identifies all mold and damage causing small leaks, and a large majority of ‘micro leaks’. Our objective is to catch the small leaks before vehicles leave the factory. Our battery-free wireless sensors, and the software we’ve developed, provide a highly effective and cost-efficient solution to make this happen.”

“Hard to detect leaks are a significant issue for automakers,” said Gary Straker, Vice President of the Protection and Signal Division at ON Semiconductor. “This new system automatically detects very small leaks on the assembly line, giving the opportunity to address the root causes of the problem and make process changes to improve outgoing quality. As an added benefit, repairs at the factory are lower cost since the right materials and fully trained personnel are on-hand. Finding leaks and dealing with them earlier, combined with major reductions in repair costs, and the avoidance of any impact on an automaker’s reputation for quality, gives an attractive potential return on investment for the industry.”

About RFMicron
Based in Austin, Texas, RFMicron produces end-to-end wireless sensing solutions that bring the Internet of Things (IoT) to industry and businesses in need of real-time business insights into productivity, performance, and environmental threats along their supply chain. Since its founding in 2006, RFMicron has led the expansion of sensing capabilities to meet the unique, large-scale demands of businesses whose success depends on knowing more about their operating conditions, including automotive manufacturing, healthcare, predictive maintenance, switchgear, cold-chain and data centers. RFMicron’s solutions include wireless Smart Passive Sensors™, SMART Edge™ systems, and other patented and patent-pending industrial IoT solutions.

About ON Semiconductor
ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ON) is driving energy efficient innovations, empowering customers to reduce global energy use. The company is a leading supplier of semiconductor-based solutions, offering a comprehensive portfolio of energy efficient, power management, analog, sensors, logic, timing, connectivity, discrete, SoC and custom devices. The company’s products help engineers solve their unique design challenges in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, industrial, medical, aerospace and defense applications. ON Semiconductor operates a responsive, reliable, world-class supply chain and quality program, a robust compliance and ethics program, and a network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and design centers in key markets throughout North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions. For more information, visit http://www.onsemi.com.

Follow @onsemi on Twitter.

ON Semiconductor and the ON Semiconductor logo are registered trademarks of Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC. RFMicron, RFMicron, Inc. and the RFMicron logo as well as the product and service names mentioned herein are the registered trademarks of RFMicron, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. trademarks of their respective holders. Although the companies reference websites in this news release, information on the websites is not to be incorporated herein.

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